The penultimate day of the 1973/74 campaign was an action packed one. Perhaps one of Manchester United’s best ever strikers netted against them whilst wearing the City Jersey. But this wasn’t any old derby with the former relegation threatened.
Although in the end their fate was already decided, the result was academic with the full time score in Norwich a goal to two in Birmingham’s favour. However with no knowledge of events at the time of what was going on at Carrow Road at that time, Denis Law believed he had downed his former employers but essentially had only sealed it to a point of no return.
Stock still. He refused to celebrate and – much to his delight I’d imagine – was removed from the field of play shortly after. The Red Devils’ confinement to 21st place – with only 36 points to their name – that our ex-number nine had set in stone evoked some regret from the centre-forward. Head hung, little did he know that only around five minutes later would the crowd that once chanted his name would stand where he stood as they carried out a pitch invasion. With little the officials or stewards alike could do to hold back the masses of Reds faithful that charged the pitch, the decision was made to abandon the fixture.
Nothing left to play for, the board avoided the prolonging of United’s sorrows as they were yet to visit make the trip down South to Stoke in order to bring the curtain down on a highly disappointing term, by allowing the result to stand, our noisy neighbours laying claim to all three points thanks to the then-41-year-old’s neat back heel that buried itself between the sticks.
It wasn’t the homecoming neither the player nor fans were hoping for. The 57,000 swarming in the Theatre of Dreams witnessed a thing of nightmares for a side that had resided in the top tier for 36 years. Only 10 minutes remained on the clock and it was in that moment that the away team made it count just as the United supporters were returning to their seats whilst simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief following Francis Lee’s scuffed shot inside the six-yard area. Falling kindly to the man-in-question, the still favourable forward was intrepid in his finish as he took a risk with his back to goal. It was heads in hands for Tommy Docherty’s Division One outfit.
Back then the Stretford End were more forgiving than they are now, and as a result Law is still hailed as a king. A bronze cast of him alongside the clubs greats, Bobby Charlton and George Best, is on also show at Old Trafford today – something that you may have come across.
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